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Baltic Market hit, Smash It has already amassed a following of 6,000 on Instagram and gained a fan in Steven Gerrard .
And despite there being numerous ice cream shops and parlours across Liverpool , Smash It has proved extremely popular among customers.
Already, they have established a name for their unique concepts and designs which have seen creations such as ice cream sushi and ice cream burritos.
Run by 34-year-old Michael Wynn from Norris Green and his partner, 31-year-old Samantha Duffy they decided to open Smash It after being inspired when living in Australia.
Michael said: "We got hooked on smashed ice cream when we lived in Sydney. There was a large ice cream chain that did it in every city down under.
"We noticed there was nobody doing it back home and we thought we would take a gamble and open one ourselves."
In spite of the chilly weather, Smash It survived the off-season when they opened their first store in January.
Asked why they chose Vauxhall as the location, Michael said: "We actually also live in Vauxhall so it's handy for us.
"But the main reason was that we couldn't afford city centre rent prices as we are only a new business.
"We don't have much passing foot fall as the shop is tucked away but Instagram really helps our business work.
"The majority of our customers travel from different areas of Merseyside we have even had people travel from as far as Wrexham all through watching our videos on Instagram".
Originally, Smash It became popular thanks to featuring in the Baltic Market, gelling with their distinctive and independent brand.
"Working down at the Baltic is brilliant It's such a cool atmosphere down there and being honest the Baltic Market give us the inspiration to open our first store as they prove you don't have to spend a fortune on all new shiny decor, it's all about up-cycling these days and that was the look we went for in our shop.
"So when we was asked to do the Baltic as traders we was delighted and it is every bit as good as we imagined," says Michael.
Recently, Smash It have been creating unique designs gaining them hundreds of likes and over a thousand views on Instagram.
Michael added: "I made the burrito after I saw a video of an ice cream parlour in Las Vegas. The video has had over one million views and at least 10 of my customers sent me the video so I had to try it and as for the sushi, I was inspired after Tiger Roll won the Grand National so we wanted to do something for all the race goers down at the Baltic."
Already, Smash It are revelling in success as all children's parties have been booked up and they've had lots of offers to attend events.
"We would love a city centre shop and we have it in the pipeline, we also get asked a lot about franchising, but at the moment we are in our favourite place, the Baltic and hopefully we will be there for a long time."


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Lawsuit Alleges Violation of Federal Law and a Green Light for Fraud
US Family Farmers Competitively Damaged, Consumers Deceived
STORY IN A (HAZEL)NUTSHELL:
- Under federal law all organic farms must be inspected on an annual basis, as per the congressional mandate in the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990.
- Without legal authority, the USDA has permitted landholders in developing countries who are producing coffee, nuts, chocolate, tea, herbs, and other specialty crops to be banded together by agribusinesses in “community or cooperative” groups without each farmer being subject to annual inspections.
- Some international certifiers, such as French-based EcoCert (an organization that has been in trouble with the USDA and international bodies over the years), certify over 600 groups alone, likely representing many thousands of individual farmers and agribusinesses.
- It appears that the vast preponderance of these “groups” are nothing more than a list of suppliers to a specific processor/marketer — not based on a cooperative or geographic community.
- As few as 2% of growers are formally inspected annually and the system is rife with conflicts of interest. For-profit certifiers are contracted by agribusinesses and subsequently allow grower certification/inspection to be administered by the businesses themselves, thus removing the independent, “third-party” inspection that is part of the legally required process. Processors are also falsely categorized by the certifier as grower-members.
- The bottom line: Food is being imported under the cost of production, forcing US growers — who are complying with the law — out of business. Are consumers being defrauded? Likely, but there is virtually no way to know conclusively (more investigations to follow).
Eugene, Ore. — When Oregon organic hazelnut grower Bruce Kaser started looking into why organic hazelnut imports from Turkey were priced so low, close to conventional hazelnuts, he found he was pulling on a thread that had the USDA certification of foreign commodities unraveling. His research exposed a systemic, conflict-ridden scandal, and led to the filing of a federal lawsuit on October 17 against the USDA, alleging a breach in the intent of Congress’ Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA).
Kaser, a certified organic farmer and semi-retired attorney, would later team up with well-known organic industry watchdog, OrganicEye. Their inquiry revealed that growers in Turkey and other exporting countries were being allowed to skip the legally-mandated annual inspections, including field inspections and audits of the documentation of all purchased inputs and commodity sales, that are required of growers in the US. The findings are a shock to many US farmers who assume imports, under the USDA accreditation program, are held to the same rigorous and expensive process to ensure their authenticity.
Foreign Imports Skirt Scrutiny — US Farmers Competitively Injured
“What has American farmers seeing red is not just the fact that most, probably nearly all, foreign growers are being exempted from annual inspections, one of the vital requirements of organic certification,” said Kaser. “It’s a false representation that ‘group certification’ is supposed to assist small landholders who are part of compact indigenous communities or cooperatives. It’s actually economically aiding large agribusinesses and retailers.”
According to OrganicEye, the investigation found that the only thing members of these groups had in common, exempting them from inspection by accredited certifiers in the eyes of the USDA, was being on the supplier list for a corporate agribusiness that was processing and/or exporting commodities.
Additionally, although purported to allow small landholders to participate in the organic industry, there seemed to be no scale limitations to members of the groups. And the USDA has no legal definition for “geographic proximity” within groups. One of the largest business enterprises in international certification submitted formal comments to the USDA on the subject: “ECOCERT is not in favor of a strict limitation or definition of the geographical proximity of a group – as long as all members of a group are located within the same country.”
USDA Ignores International Trade Commission Investigation and Legal Complaint
Kaser first asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate when he learned about cheap organic hazelnuts flooding the US market but couldn’t find any certified Turkish organic growers on the USDA’s “Organic Integrity” database. The USITC found that USDA-accredited certifiers were issuing organic “crops” certificates directly to agribusiness food processors, which made the farmers invisible and untraceable (unlike organic crops produced in the US).
Taking the Trade Commission’s findings, the next step in seeking justice for American organic farmers was filing a formal administrative complaint with the USDA in July 2023. Other than acknowledging receipt, the agency has not responded, which led to the current lawsuit filed in District Court in Oregon.
“This exemption, although not technically permitted under the law, was originally conceived to help low-income farmers access the organic marketplace,” said Mark Kastel, Executive Director of OrganicEye, who has monitored organic rulemaking and regulation for over three decades. “Group certification was originally structured to allow esteemed members, possibly elders, of these communities to act, in essence, as subcontractors for inspection, with certifiers overseeing and spot-checking their work. However, what the USDA referred to as a ‘scheme’ has turned into a racket, with agribusiness puppet masters in charge of inspections.”
A “Shadow” Parallel Certification System Ripe for Fraud
In reality, for-profit certifiers, most based outside of the US, are contracting with agribusinesses to oversee their own suppliers, thus removing the independent, “third-party” inspection that is part of the legally required process the industry has used to build credibility for the USDA organic seal and food packaging.
“In a convoluted misrepresentation, the agribusinesses themselves are then falsely listed as one of the group’s farmer-growers, typically producing nuts, bananas, chocolate, or some other commodity,” Kastel added.
Under updated regulations, it appears that as few as 2% of growers in a group are annually spot-checked by the actual certifier. In a group of 100 farmers — and some groups are many times larger — only two growers would be inspected and one of the two might be a faux grower (the agribusiness acting as what OrganicEye calls “the ringmaster”). With hundreds of groups worldwide, this equates to many thousands of uninspected farms illegally competing with fully inspected US growers.
“The documented conflict of interest, and the potential for fraud, in this USDA-sanctioned ‘shadow’ inspection/certification program — which is fully supported by the Organic Trade Association, the dominant industry lobby group — is palpable,” said Kastel.
Even under newly enhanced regulations adopted after repeated incidents of major fraud, commonly known as the Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule, the USDA solely delegates the authority to for-profit certifiers working overseas to design their own group administrative systems and internal controls to prevent fraud by their customers.
Kastel added, “We’re trusting the certifiers, whose primary motivator is profit, to oversee their agribusiness ‘clients,’ who in turn are responsible for overseeing all their own suppliers (i.e., the group members).”
Seeking a Judicial Remedy — Filing Federal Lawsuit in Eugene, Oregon
If successful, the lawsuit (Pratum Farm vs. USDA: Case 5 U.S.C. § 706), filed by Mr. Kaser’s Oregon-based certified organic operation, would result in a court judgment declaring grower group certifications illegal and directing the USDA federal officer in charge of the National Organic Program (currently Dr. Jennifer Tucker) to instruct certifiers to immediately cease grower group certifications.
“It’s an awful example of administration by the USDA. It’s frustrating and harmful to watch literally tons of imported hazelnuts and other high-value commodities flooding domestic markets from exporters and farmers who have been able to skirt the system,” Kaser stated.
Because of the secrecy under which the USDA’s National Organic Program operates, it is unknown to what extent group certification is utilized domestically. However, veteran organic inspectors and certifiers have told OrganicEye investigators that group certification has been widespread in the US amongst Amish farmers and some vertically-integrated corporate livestock producers. Its current status, domestically, is the subject of a separate investigation by OrganicEye.
One of the five foreign-based, for-profit certifiers targeted in the investigation and named in the administrative complaint filed in July, was French-based EcoCert. The for-profit company certifies thousands of organic operations in 94 countries worldwide through its 21 subsidiaries. They have faced enforcement actions by US and European Union regulators on a number of occasions yet are still entrusted with overseeing grower groups without annual inspections by qualified and trained staff.
The potential for fraud is ripe. Some processor/exporters involved in the group certification process in Turkey, a country that has been implicated in large-scale organic fraud in the past, have been traced using geo-tracking to at least one auto repair shop and one gas station. Both the repair shop and filling station were listed in the “Organic Integrity” database maintained by the USDA during the investigation but have since been quietly removed without explanation.

domain: news


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Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, said the strategic vision plan he unveiled two years ago in form of eight-point agenda had so far made a significant impact on the growth of telecommunication’s sector in Nigeria.
Mr Danbatta, who stated this at the just concluded 2018 World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Spain, said broadband penetration in the country merely stood at about eight percent when he took over the mantle of the leadership in the commission.
“But it is now 22 percent, according to the ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.
“We also decided to look at how we can improve Quality of Service (QoS) consistent with key performances indicators that characterise the quality of service.
“The information we are getting from the consumers as well what we source from network operators is that QoS has improved.
“The experiences by consumers through their accounts also indicate significant improvement.”
The NCC boss therefore called for renewed thinking by global policymakers and regulatory framework in the telecommunication industry.
Mr Danbatta said global policymakers in the telecom industry should ensure not only renewed thinking in the development of policy frameworks but also promote innovation and investment in the sector.
He said the regulators should promote innovation, investment and better quality of service as well as putting in place mechanisms that would limit unfair pricing and exploitation of consumers.
“In Nigeria, we are trying to digitally transform and the process is ongoing as I am talking to you.
“Hence, we have been paying attention to five interdependent elements of the digital transformation processes which include enabling policies and institutions, human capital, applied ICT industry, communications infrastructure, ICT applications and institutional change.”
Danbatta told the gathering about the successful auctioning of the spectrum 2.6 GHz band, which had already been assigned and contributed to broadband penetration in Nigeria.
The NCC boss said to empower the consumers of the industry’s product in Nigeria, the year 2017 was dedicated as the year of the consumer.
He said when NCC started the campaign; the commission was flooded with a lot of complaints, especially on unsolicited text messages sent to consumers.
“Consumers in many cases are surcharged, NCC has put behind this menace in Nigeria through the campaign.
“As I am talking to you, we have a Do- Not- Disturb facility, which is very easy to use by consumers as more than nine million users have activated this facility.
“Again, close to that number have gained access to our 622 toll-free line, which is provided to consumers to lodge their complaints on the quality of service provided by the telecommunication firms.”
NCC listed other notable industry giants who participated in the panel discussion to include Ajit Pai, the Chief Regulator of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
Other participants are Ram Sharma, the Chief Regulator of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India; and German Pimienta of Communications Regulatory, Colombia.


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It quoted Jens Redmer, director of Google Book Search in Europe, speaking at 'Unbound', an invitation-only conference at the New York Public Library, saying: "We are working on a platform that will let publishers give readers full access to a book online." Redmer said that the project was likely to come to fruition "sooner rather than later".
The Times said the initiative would be part of Google's Book Search service and its partnership with publishers, which makes books searchable online. Readers are then linked to sites such as Amazon where they can buy a physical copy of the book.
The news immediately lead Sunday Times commentator, Bryan Appleyard to bemoan the fact that: "We are, it seems, about to lose physical contact with books, the primary experience and foundation of civilisation for the last 500 years."


text: Even if you live in a major city like Sydney or Melbourne, you won’t find 5G everywhere. Postpaid customers on Telstra’s cheapest ‘Small’ data plan have to pay an extra $10/month for 5G access but Telstra customers on Medium, Large and Extra large plans get it for free. After years of buzz, 5G is finally on its way. It’s not nearly as fast as the 2Gbps-plus speeds that mmWave networks have reached—T-Mobile says it can reach speeds of 450Mbps—and there are a lot of unknowns, most notably how it scales and how much of the nation will be covered. For most of us, 5G networks mean faster download speeds and smoother streaming of online content, which are handy for streaming movies and heavier tasks like gaming – one for the future. ABN 14 001 592 650. Take the S20 Plus and Ultra, which are able to connect with both AT&T's more extensive low-band coverage and its higher speed 5G Plus service. NY 10036. And while the Galaxy S20 Ultra costs an eye-popping $1,399, both the S20 ($999) and S20 Plus ($1,199) cost less than last year's 5G phones from Samsung. Most major cities in US support connectivity, but if you don’t reside in one of these spots, its worth checking with your carrier. mmWave is also very finicky, has trouble penetrating walls and thick glass, and needs a straight line of sight, so if you’re walking away from a tower you might lost service. Some analysts expect every new iPhone coming from Apple this fall to feature 5G. Sort of. 5G connectivity is included on all Optus plans. It's the Pentium 3. All three major carriers now have some sort of nationwide sub-6 5G network. ", T-Mobile includes 5G coverage as part of its $70-a-month Magenta unlimited plan. 3. That's going to change in a big way this fall when multiple versions of the iPhone 12 will likely work with 5G. That reach figures to continue expanding throughout the year, as carriers cover more area with their 5G networks. But that's over the next 10 years, with broad adoption probably starting in 2021. Apple has yet to come out with 5G-compatible iPhones. We're following all the 5G announcements on our Race to 5G page. according to me you shouldn’t right now and buy a rather mid range but good 4G phone according to the conditions 5 G will be there in minimum 2 years and a max of 4 years yes, people will shift on 5G but … Speaking of infrastructure, there’s no bigger factor in buying (or not buying) a 5G phone than what your wireless carrier is doing in your own backyard. HTC, Inseego, and Netgear all have 5G hotspots out on the market. For now, you have to choose one or the other on a 5G device. Verizon phones … Last year’s Oppo Reno 5G was our pick for the best value 5G handset available in Australia and this year’s crop arguably improve on that aspect of things: Oppo currently offers a total of five 5G devices: Motorola only recently graduated into the 5G smartphone arena with the foldable Motorola Razr 5G and the slightly more-modest Moto G 5G Plus and Motorola Edge 5G. If the phone you're after happens to have 5G, that's a nice bonus, but in the short term, we don't think 5G … But coverage is inconsistent, given Verizon’s choice of ultra-fast millimetre wave technology, which provides limited reach. He's the head of our Fastest Mobile Networks project, one of the hosts of the daily PCMag Live Web show and speaks frequently in mass media on cell-phone-related issues. All rights reserved. For obvious reasons, the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are the way to go if you're bought into the iOS ecosystem and want a 5G phone. Here's why. 5G is definitely faster than 4G LTE, even on 5G networks that are putting the initial focus on coverage rather than speed. And it’s faster too. On the device side of things, 5G connectivity has also shifted from a premium optional extra to something you should expect in your next handset. And the good news is speeds only going to get faster. As opposed to Telstra’s mobile-centric approach, Optus’ pitch for 5G put fixed home wireless front and center. Samsung put 5G in every Galaxy S20 series phone bringing faster speeds, a 120Hz display, and some of the best cameras ever put in a phone. 5G has huge potential, and over the next 10 years its capabilities will greatly outstrip anything that was possible with 4G. But while many are eager for next-level speeds, there are a few things to consider before splashing the cash and ditching your perfectly functional 4G phone for now. All that's going to change over time, of course, but if you're expecting fast 5G speeds all the time without interruption, you'd best wait for carriers to improve their networks. This 5G now covers hundreds of millions of Americans. (And it could be even longer, depending on the coronavirus outbreak, which has the potential to disrupt Apple's production schedule in Asia and push back the iPhone 12's launch.) (In Sprint's case, that's the $80-a-month Unlimited Premium tier, while AT&T includes 5G coverage with its $85 Unlimited Elite and $75 Unlimited Extra offerings.). When you hear about 5G’s insane multi-gigabit speeds, mmWave is what people are talking about. By the time coverage is better, there will be better phones. Expectations are that it will begin sometime in 2020, though. Another key difference worth noting is that Optus insists that all plans, regardless of who they're built for, will come with 5G-included. But T-Mobile says it will reach 200 million people, so it will definitely be the widest 5G coverage map so far. While Australians have spent most of the year indoors, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have been hard at work. PS5 update: Here's when PlayStation 5 stock will return, Samsung Galaxy S21 release date, price specs and leaks, Samsung Galaxy S21 release date looks imminent — here's the proof, PS5 backwards compatibility just gave Xbox Series X a big win. Michael Simon covers all things mobile for PCWorld and Macworld. When we tested 5G networks in the past year, we usually saw marked improvements in download speeds for 5G vs. 4G. More phones today are equipped with 5G, connecting users with the next generation of network speeds. Despite the race to 5G, 53% of 1,800 tech and business executives surveyed for an Accenture report said 5G would enable them to do “very few” things that they couldn’t already do with 4G. The latest flagship phones from Samsung — the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra — all feature 5G and work with every carrier. We wrote that: If you’re interested in buying a 5G phone specifically to use 5G, it still might be best to wait for the network to be more broadly available. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. If you're willing to bide your time, you can get a 5G phone for half the cost of what you'd pay today. The best way to yell at him is on Twitter. Verizon 5G is live in parts of more than 34 cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, with average speeds of around 1.4Gbps. Thanks to the Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra, AT&T has opened up its higher-speed 5G Plus in 35 cities which was previously restricted to select customers. Thank you for signing up to Tom's Guide. Sprint has officially be laid to rest and is now part of the T-Mobile family. AT&T has focused mainly on homes and businesses with mmWave cells for its first round of 5G coverage, but expects to begin rolling out its sub-6GHz 5G to mobile customers in early 2020. Even with service that uses low-band spectrum, like T-Mobile's 5G network, we've seen modest improvement over LTE speeds in some cases (though not always, as we'll discuss below). Now drop resistant up to 2 Meters. Verizon keeps talking about launching by the end of the year in 20 to 30 cities. OnePlus is rumored to launch the mid-range OnePlus Z, with 5G connectivity, but not in the US. Both the Galaxy S10 5G and Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G, released last year, would set you back $1,299. Each carrier has been consistently adding additional coverage to its 5G network and will likely see the majority of the network improvements going forward. © This is partially due to the head-start they had on the competition but it should be noted that this advantage doesn’t entirely offset the reality that it is still something of a patchwork rollout. The MSI PS63 is an amazing laptop and I would definitely consider buying one in the future. Other than his home town of New York, his favorite …. The only 5G Sprint phones you should get right now are in the Galaxy S20 series. On Sprint and T-Mobile, 5G feels like good 4G. But millimeter-wave-based networks can be hard to find. However, it’s also extremely limited. LG, Motorola, OnePlus, and Samsung are all selling 5G devices, although it looks like Apple is waiting until 2020. However, that might change before the calendar changes to 2020. AT&T and Verizon phones should have support for band n5 while T-Mobile phones should support both n41 and n71.


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United Airlines today announced tickets are now available for purchase on united.com for the first-ever nonstop service by a U.S. carrier between New York/Newark and Cape Town. United will begin three-times weekly nonstop service on Dec. 15, 2019, subject to government approval.
“Our new service between New York and Cape Town will enable our business and leisure customers to choose a more convenient and seamless way to travel between the United States and South Africa,” said Jake Cefolia, United’s senior vice president of Worldwide Sales. “We look forward to offering our customers easier access to South Africa’s growing tourism industry and enabling business opportunities between the United States and the Western Cape’s technology sector.”
United’s service between New York/Newark and Cape Town will decrease the current travel time from New Yorkto Cape Town by more than four hours and provide customers from more than 80 U.S. cities with easy, one-stop access to Cape Town.
“The United States is one of the Western Cape’s key tourism markets and United’s new service will significantly contribute towards growing our tourism sector as we welcome new visitors,” said Western Cape Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities Beverley Schäfer. “The Western Cape is a global hub for technology and finance and United Airlines will enable new economic opportunities for Cape Town and New York.”
United will operate its service between New York/Newark and Cape Town with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft featuring 48 seats in United Polaris business class, 88 seats in Economy Plus and 116 seats in United Economy.
|New York/Newark to Cape Town Schedule|
|UA 1122||New York/Newark||Cape Town||Sun., Weds., Fri.||8:30 p.m.||6:00 p.m. +1|
|UA 1123||Cape Town||New York/Newark||Mon., Thurs., Sat.||8:50 p.m.||5:45 a.m. +1|


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November 19, 2010
This weekend, thousands of Alltel customers in four states will have more bars in more places.
Thats because AT&T is converting Alltel subscribers in Alabama, California, Nevada and Virginia to its GSM network; the move was prompted by AT&Ts $2.35 billion purchase of rural Alltel assets earlier this year. Alltels network is built on the CDMA protocol.
Postpaid Alltel users were able to receive a new AT&T handset comparable to the ones they already had at no extra cost, and most rate plans stayed intact, too. Interestingly, while AT&T plans to switch Alltel users to its network on Sunday, many people wont actually receive their new phones until Nov. 26. Wonder whats up with that?
Itll be interesting to watch for feedback on the changes. Lots of consumers opted for the smaller Alltel which was swallowed up by Verizon Communications in 2008 to avoid the larger carriers. And the $28.1 billion Alltel acquisition made Verizon the largest wireless operator in the United States, with more than 90 million customers.
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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
For the sixth year in a row, the Blaine Police Department teamed with Blaine SuperTarget to make the holiday season extra special for some local children. This year members of the Spring Lake Park–Blaine–Mounds View Fire Department and the Police Department joined together to help the children complete their holiday gift buying.
School social workers helped identify children from six local elementary schools, who needed an extra special holiday season. Target, with the help of employees, then put together a special holiday shopping event for each of these children.
To make the day special, the officers and firefighters picked up the children at school prior to their shopping spree. Once they arrived at SuperTarget, children received a donated gift card to complete holiday shopping for their family members.
Donations from Target and the Blaine Festival Committee were used to fund the donated gift cards. Funds were also set aside for non-gift necessities such as food, underwear, socks, boots, and mittens. Target also gave the children a 20% discount on their purchases, and a bag of food items to take home with them.
The children, many with shopping lists in hand, were paired with Police Officers, Firefighters Police Explorers, Community Service Officers, and Police Reserve Officers to guide them throughout the store. They were also treated to a meal at Target’s Food Avenue. After loading their carts and purchasing the presents, cops, firefighters, and kids gathered with Target employees to wrap the gifts.
At the end of the day, the Police Officers and Firefighters returned the children home with bags of presents to share with their families so they could help spread the holiday cheer at home this season.
For a photo recap and some really cute #Selfies, visit our Flickr Photo Recap.


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SAMSUNG LOOKS SET to overtake Asustek and HP to become the second largest netbook outfit in Europe.
Sources who claim to have seen the latest IDC figures say Samsung apparently has managed a bit of a coup in the third quarter. It will play second fiddle only to Acer and HP will be forced to play the bassoon.
Samsung's success has come from bundling its netbooks with services from mobile telecom carriers in Europe. It is trying to duplicate this cunningly successful plan across the pond and in Asia.
Samsung shipped 2.15 million notebooks globally in the first half of 2009 with a market share of three per cent and an eighth-place ranking. One million units were shipped to Europe, giving the company a market share of five per cent and ranking at number six.
According to Digitimes, Samsung could flog six million notebooks in total in 2009, and over 10 million units in 2010. The Korean outfit has been hardselling ultrathin notebooks by bundling them with 3G services. µ
You won't be able to live without it, claims Apple CEO
It's exciting to see Windows developers joining in, says community lead Tyler Croy
Oh, and you'll *need* an Apple Watch too
Rouse yourself with the Rock


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Samsung introduced the 108MP ISOCELL HM3 image sensor with the Galaxy S20 series in 2020. While Samsung used the same sensor for its Galaxy S21 and S22 flagship series, it might be trying to increase the megapixel count with its 200MP ISOCELL HP1 image sensor with the Galaxy S23 series next year. Let’s have a look at the specifics.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Will Feature a 200MP Camera
Last year, Samsung introduced the ISOCELL HP1 image sensor, the world’s first 200MP image sensor for mobile devices. The 0.64 micron-sized pixels on the industry-first camera sensor allow 8K footage on mobile devices.
According to a recent report from Korea’s ETNews, the business is nearing the completion of the development process for the ISOCELL HP1 sensor. The development is also believed to be handled by Samsung Electronics and Samsung Electro-Mechanics divisions, with the duty being split in a 30-70 ratio.
According to the claim, the 200MP ISOCELL HP1 sensor will use in Samsung’s next-generation flagship Galaxy S23 series. It’s due out in 2023 and has the potential to redefine smartphone camera standards once again. It should have industry-leading camera performance and low-light imaging. Samsung has also discussed the 200MP sensor’s roadmap with its main partners ahead of its launch next year.
The 200MP ISOCELL HP1 sensor has a new pixel-binning technology dubbed ChameleonCell, which employs a two-by-two, four-by-four, or complete pixel layout for photos depending on the ambient illumination. It also combines 16 adjacent pixels to gather more light for the sensor, resulting in better low-light performance.
Furthermore, the sensor can record 8K movies at 30 frames per second with minimum loss of field of view. It can also reduce video resolutions to 50MP and capture 8K films without cropping or scaling down the whole picture quality by combining four surrounding pixels.
Other specifics about the Galaxy S23 versions for next year are yet unclear. As a result, we recommend that you stay tuned for further information and share your opinions on Samsung’s impending 200MP image sensor in the comments section below.


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The goal of Refill campaign is to normalise refilling and make it as easy as possible for people to find free, high-quality, drinking water on the go. The aim is to create a national network of high street retailers, coffee shops, transport hubs and businesses offering to let the public to top-up their water bottles for free in every major city and town. Refill is being rolled out nationwide with full support of Welsh Government and water companies Dŵr Cymru and Hafren Dyfrdwy, Refill will substantially increase the availability of high-quality drinking water. It has never been easier to swap a single use plastic bottle for a free taste of the rolling Welsh mountains.
1. Prevent plastic pollution. According to the Environmental Audit Committee consumption of bottled water has doubled over the last 15 years, with over 7 billion plastic water bottles used each year in the UK. If everyone in the UK refilled just once a week, we’d prevent more than 340 million plastic bottles at source every year. Furthermore an appalling 700,000 plastic bottles are littered every single day in the UK. Many of these are making their way into our oceans. Plastic bottles now make up one-third of all plastic pollution in the sea and there are now over 159 plastic bottles for every mile of beach in the UK.
2. Save Money. Globally, the bottled water industry is expected to be worth $215.12 billion by 2025 and in the UK we are spending more than $2.4 billion a year on the stuff. That’s no surprise when you consider that we are buying around 3 bottles a week EACH every year. Refilling your reusable bottle is an easy way to save money, because bottled water costs between 500-1000 times more than water from the tap!
3. Help combat climate change. It’s been estimated that plastic production and the incineration of plastic waste give rise globally to approximately 400 million tonnes of CO2 a year with bottled water being 900 times more carbon intensive than drinking tap water. It takes over 8 litres of water to produce a single bottle, making it an incredibly inefficient use of resources, and that’s even before we’ve thought about flying it halfway across the world!
It is estimated that the Refill campaign will have saved over 100 million single-use bottles from entering our waste stream by the end of 2019.
What can you do? Download the free app to find out where the nearest refill point is or look out for the Refill window stickers. Pick up a refillable bottle and start refilling!
Are you a business? Why not sign up to become a Refill station. It’s quick and easy to do so, either head to the refill website: www.refill.org.uk


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BROKEN ARROW, Okla. – A former employee was arrested for embezzling money from a Walmart Neighborhood Market.
Broken Arrow police say DeJanece Danae Thomas was taken into police custody after using prepaid Visa gift cards to load $500.
Thomas allegedly gave the cards to an acquaintance in return for $100 in cash.
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Apple’s rumored foldable Mac/iPad hybrid will reportedly go from a 20-inch touchscreen panel to a laptop with a virtual keyboard and trackpad deck.
Apple is reportedly experimenting with a foldable Mac/iPad hybrid device that will offer a touchscreen interface and might hit the shelves in about four years from now. Now, the idea of a touch-screen Mac is divisive. On one hand, there are devices like Microsoft’s Surface that effortlessly go from laptop to tablet mode, with a touch-sensitive panel proving to be a key functional aspect in the transformation. Apple, on the other hand, isn’t a fan of the idea.
“It doesn’t work, it’s ergonomically terrible,” Steve Jobs said back in 2010, adding that touch screens on a vertical panel are an open invitation to arm fatigue. The TouchBar on MacBooks, the closest that Apple ever got to the idea of a touch interface on its laptops, was also finally gotten rid of in 2020. However, rumors about the possibility of a Mac machine with touch screen technology have recently started to pick up the pace.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
Related: Apple Might Be Working On A Keyboard That Doubles As Your Mac
Display Supply Chain Consultants’ (DSCC) Ross Young recently claimed that Apple was working on an all-screen foldable Mac. The device can reportedly serve as a notebook with a virtual keyboard on one half of the screen or unfold into a massive 20-inch computing screen that can be paired with an external keyboard. Now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman notes in his PowerOn newsletter that Apple has “been exploring a dual-screen, foldable, MacBook/iPad hybrid.” The idea is not alien, as Lenovo already executed it back in 2020 with the ThinkPad X1 Fold. Apple has reportedly been toying with the concept for the past couple of years, but it is unclear at what development stage it currently sits. “It would trade in the physical keyboard and trackpad for a fully touch-screen base,” Gurman adds.
Wild Idea, But Too Far In The Future
More recently, Asus took a stab at the concept with the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, touted to be the world’s first 17-inch foldable laptop. The idea here is that a foldable screen offers great versatility for different use case scenarios. For those worried about typing on a virtual keyboard and having to deal with an on-screen trackpad, both Lenovo and Asus sell wireless physical peripherals that slide right on top to offer a classic laptop experience. Apple has a huge advantage here. It already has a large ecosystem of keyboards and a terribly-designed mouse in the Magic series for Mac, and those tailored for the iPad can potentially lend a hand as well.
Interestingly, a patent detailing an iMac concept with a touchscreen display was also spotted in early 2022. However, an all-touch MacBook with a foldable screen is still far off, with Young noting that it won’t arrive before 2025 at the earliest. On the Windows and Android side of the hardware ecosystem, things are evolving rapidly. It appears that Apple is waiting for the tech to mature before it brings a refined device with an all-new form-factor to the market. However, there is always a chance that engineering or performance issues might keep the device in the realms of mass imagination, as is the case with the doomed AirPower charging mat.
Next: Apple’s 2022 Mac Lineup Looks Absolutely Jampacked
Source: Bloomberg’s PowerOn
90 Day Fiancé: What Happened To Caleb & Alina After Their Painful Break-Up
About The Author
(639 Articles Published)
Nadeem has been writing about consumer technology for over three years now, having worked with names such as NDTV and Pocketnow in the past. Aside from covering the latest news, he also has experience testing out the latest phones and laptops.
When he’s not writing, you can find him failing at Doom eternal.
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Customers can efficiently win even more disputes through the power of a combined Sift Payment Protection and Dispute Management solution
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sift, the leader in Digital Trust & Safety, today announced new integrations and capabilities for its Dispute Management product, providing merchants with a more accurate, efficient, and effective way of managing chargebacks. The announcement was made at the Merchant Risk Council’s Santa Clara conference.
The latest Integrations with PayPal and Adyen, two of the largest payment processors globally, allow Dispute Management customers to ingest chargeback data, dynamically deliver disputes according to network requirements, confirm dispute response delivery, and view win/loss outcome updates.
By leveraging both Payment Protection and Dispute Management, Sift customers have already benefited from significantly reduced fraud rates and higher order acceptance rates.
Building on its pioneering approach to solving fraud using machine learning (ML), Sift is also introducing new ML models to Dispute Management, including access to automation capabilities that allow customers to proactively fight—and win—disputes. One of those capabilities is Response Recommendations, an ML-powered recommendations engine that identifies opportunities to optimize dispute responses, thus increasing the likelihood of winning disputes and retaining lost revenue.
“Chargebacks have become increasingly difficult to fight and win for merchants,” said Neeraj Gupta, Sift Chief Technology Officer. “With disparate rules and updates for each card network, like Visa’s Compelling Evidence 3.0 update, fraud teams need to streamline how they respond to and successfully fight disputes – and the combination of Payment Protection and Dispute Management allow them to do just that.”
“Sift Dispute Management has made it faster and easier to respond to chargebacks. Effective integration between Sift, our payment processor, and our own internal tools has improved a once labor intensive process into an efficient, automated system,” said Taylor Snyder, Manager of Risk & Compliance at online bill pay company, Doxo. “This keeps labor costs low while leveraging all available chargeback prevention tools in one platform.”
Sift Payment Protection customers interested in learning more about Dispute Management can get in touch with a Sift expert here.
Sift is the leader in Digital Trust & Safety, empowering digital disruptors to Fortune 500 companies to unlock new revenue without risk. Sift dynamically prevents fraud and abuse through industry-leading technology and expertise, an unrivaled global data network of one trillion (1T) events per year, and a commitment to long-term customer partnerships. Global brands such as DoorDash, Twitter/X, and Poshmark rely on Sift to gain a competitive advantage in their markets. Visit us at sift.com, and follow us on LinkedIn.
Senior Director, Corporate Communications


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The first legal medical marijuana sales under a 2-year-old state law began Thursday at a dispensary in western Pennsylvania, with the first purchase by a woman who lobbied for passage of the law.
A line of about a dozen people greeted employees as they opened the doors of the Cresco Yeltrah dispensary in Butler. Five other dispensaries are expected to start sales in the coming days.
Diana Briggs of Export, Pennsylvania, said the $178 purchase she made should easily be enough to treat her 17-year-old son Ryan for a month.
She credits medical marijuana for reducing Ryan’s seizures from more than 400 to fewer than 50 a day.
“A very long and winding, four-year journey brought me here today,” Briggs said after buying a tincture and some capsules. “I have been crying all day.”
Cresco Yeltrah chief executive Charlie Bachtell said the first day of public operation was “so far, so good.”
“You forget, sort of, what that initial patient, that initial purchase, how long they’ve been waiting for it,” Bachtell said.
He said products ranged in price from $30 to $95. As a grower-producer, his company’s dispensary gets the product it sells from its own 46,000-square-foot growing facility about 60 miles away in Jefferson County.
Dispensaries are expected to open to customers Friday in Pittsburgh, Bethlehem and Enola, and on Saturday in Sellersville and Devon.
Medical insurance does not cover the cost of medical marijuana, neither doctor visits nor the medicine itself.
Chris Goldstein, a cannabis consumer advocate with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the restrictive nature of Pennsylvania’s law may make it challenging for dispensaries to turn a profit.
“The rest of the country is fully legalizing, New Jersey is vastly expanding. Pennsylvania is rolling out one of the most limited medical cannabis programs in the country,” Goldstein said.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who pushed for the law and has overseen its implementation , called the start of sales a historic day.
Wolf said Thursday that nearly 3,000 patients have obtained medical marijuana cards, more than 17,000 have registered to participate, and some 700 doctors have been qualified or are getting qualified to treat patients.
A 2016 state law restricts the drug to pills, oils, vapor or liquid marijuana, but not in smokable form or what are considered edibles.
Pennsylvania allows medical marijuana for those with one of 17 qualifying conditions, including AIDS, autism, cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and Crohn’s disease.
Relief arrived today for thousands of patients across Pennsylvania as the first sale in the state’s medical marijuana program took place in Butler. The CY+ dispensary was the first dispensary to be approved and open their doors and they were met by many card-carrying patients that have been waiting for this new form of medicine to finally be available.
“This is a dream come true and I am ecstatic to be one of the first caregivers to legally purchase medical marijuana in the state. We are ready to begin the next phase Ryan’s journey healing with this amazing medicine,” said Diana Briggs, whose son Ryan suffers from up to 400 seizures a day and has experienced numerous side effects using traditional prescription medications.
“I am feeling so many different emotions making my first purchase of medical marijuana legally in Pennsylvania, from excitement that Hannah and others will finally have access to a safe alternative treatment option, to relief that I will not have to worry about where I am going to get her product or if it will get to me timely,” said Heather Shuker whose daughter Hannah suffers from severe intractable epilepsy.
The dispensary opened the doors of its modern, patient-focused facility Thursday morning with over 100 patient consultations scheduled for their first week in operations. More than 4,000 patients have been issued a medical marijuana card by the PA Department of Health after being certified by a physician for having one of the 17 serious medical conditions. Those interested in more information on getting a card should visit www.pa.gov.
The CY+ dispensary will carry over 100 different, pharmaceutical-grade, medical marijuana products with a variety of delivery methods including capsules, oils, waxes, concentrates and tinctures. Their staff has been trained and educated by national medical experts to guide patients in their choice of strain and consumption method most appropriate for their medical condition.
“We want patients to feel as comfortable in our dispensary that they would in their local pharmacy as they are now both places you can get medicine in Pennsylvania,” said Cresco Yeltrah Co-Founder Charlie Bachtell.


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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is developing a Heavy-Duty Inspection/Maintenance regulatory concept to make sure that non-gasoline powered vehicles greater than 14,000 lbs. operating in California (including vehicles registered out of state) have properly functioning emissions control systems. While this is only a regulatory concept right now, the intention is for this to eventually become a regulation that would essentially establish a smog check program for heavy-duty diesels. The new requirements being considered by CARB could have huge implications for diesel motorhome owners.
The rulemaking under development, which is mandated by Senate Bill 210 (signed into law in September 2019), will require owners of diesel motorhomes nationwide to obtain an annual certificate of conformity from CARB in order to operate their vehicles on California roads. The rule would apply to all motorhomes operated in California even, for example, motorhomes registered in Virginia or Vermont which travel into California on vacation. This is despite the fact that the legislative history of the new law is clear that motorhomes are not the intended subject to be regulated.
Along with the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) and the CampCalNOW RV Park and Campground Alliance, the RV Industry Association has sent comments to CARB on the potentially negative impact this proposal could have on RV owners and RV parks and campgrounds.
Many out-of-state owners would opt to vacation in other states if this draconian regulation were in place against all diesel motorhomes. The portion of the proposal which would allow a 3-day exemption from the regulation is also unworkable for the overwhelming majority of motorhome owners who would be considering California vacations, since very few motorhome trips into California are for three days or fewer.
Next up for the proposed rule is a workshop that will occur in late March. A full regulatory proposal is not likely to be sent to the full Board until near the end of this year, with an anticipated effective date in 2023. The RV Industry Association and our coalition partners will continue to work with CARB staff to develop appropriate provisions that will protect the public without being overly burdensome on motorhomes.
For questions, contact Mike Ochs, Director of Government Affairs, at email@example.com.


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From 10 orders to 10k customers, how Tearaja became a business with Rs 1.2 Cr revenue
Kolkata-based Tearaja started its journey with 10 online orders, and now serves more than 10,000 customers. The tea brand is targeting Rs 1.8 crore revenue in FY 2020-21.
“Adversity is the mother of all inventions,” says Manish Jain, Founder of Kolkata-based tea business. Manish, 32, also a member of the Indian Billiards and Snooker teams, had taken some time off from the game in 2014. There were no tournaments for the next five months and he decided to have a look at the family tea business.
This revealed two truths about his father’s company — it was bankrupt with a huge debt and interest payments, and there was no growth in sales for almost a decade.
Manish decided to take up the responsibility to revive his family business. And how! Today, Tearaja manufactures tea and sells more than 200 varieties, both online and offline, doubling its customer base year-on-year.
Zero to one
Originally from Assam, Manish’s father moved to Kolkata with his family when terrorism peaked in the state. Initially starting a hardware business, he soon set up a 150 sq ft tea store in Kolkata’s Lal Bazar in 1994. It sold loose leaf teas, and multiple branded teas, including Tetley and Lipton.
However, after finding out about the debt and interests, Manish says, “Our life was upside down. We mortgaged our house and shop and everything had to be sold off to pay the vendors.”
He quit his job at the Railway Sports Promotion Board and started working on building the brand full-time. “The family business was not growing due to lack of innovation and invention,” he tells SMB Story.
In 2016, Manish incorporated Tearaja, bootstrapping it with a loan of Rs 10 lakh from his in-laws. He remembers being the first tea seller on Amazon from Kolkata, and says, “Starting with 10 orders a month, we now clock 4,000 online orders a month.”
Manish’s wife, Poonam Jain, 32, joined the founding team and serves as the design thinker, innovation, and new ideas creator.
“We started the company in Kolkata since it is situated between Darjeeling and Assam and is the perfect strategic location for us to be in business,” he adds.
Tearaja started with single estate teas at first and has now ventured into flavoured and ayurvedic varieties as well. It has a team of 20 employees responsible for tea tasting, quality check, and packaging, and it outsources its tech and marketing teams.
Sourced from the best
Tearaja sources its tea directly from partnered tea estates, removing all middlemen, which has helped it reduce the time taken to source from various channels. “The tea comes directly to our warehouse in Kolkata, where it is blended, packed, and shipped to customers worldwide,” Manish adds.
The catalogue includes black tea, Darjeeling tea, oolong tea, white tea, green tea, herbal tea, ayurvedic tea, immunity tea, and iced tea. Prices start at Rs 299 for 100 grams and can go up to Rs 40,000 per kilo.
“Our target audience is quite niche. We are not in the mass segment and want to add value to the lives of our customers,” Manish explains, “Owing to the quality of our teas, our customers are our marketers.”
Tearaja has served more than 10,000 customers so far, and also focuses on corporate gifting. Its revenue has grown 1.5X to 2X year-on-year at zero percent burn rate.
The company claims to have generated Rs 83 lakh revenue in FY 2018-19, recording Rs 4 lakh profit. In FY20, Tearaja’s revenue stood at Rs 1.2 crore, with Rs 6 lakh profit.
“For FY 2020-21, we are targeting sales of Rs 1.8 crore,” Manish says.
Looking back, Manish says that the biggest challenge he faced was finding the right product-market fit. He believes that being open to customer feedback has helped him create the brand that Tearaja is today.
“Looking at market dynamics and online trends, customer behaviour and buying will keep changing from time to time and as an entrepreneur, I need to keep evolving,” he says.
Expert Market Research states that India consumed 1.10 million tonnes of tea last year and that the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.2 percent between 2020 and 2025. It further adds that by 2025, the tea market in India is expected to attain 1.40 million tonnes.
Players like Teabox and Vahdam Teas have been creating a buzz in the Indian market.
However, Manish says, “We all have our own clients and our offerings are different. We are making our own proprietary blends and products.”
Going ahead, Tearaja plans to further expand its catalogue, expands and experiment in untouched markets.
“We plan to expand our brand to the Tier-III and IV cities of India in the next financial year,” adds the founder.
Tearaja also plans to raise its first round of funding in the next six to nine months.
Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta


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Greg Layson, Automotive News Canada November 26th, 2020 Imagine the attention that a business card the size of a midsize utility vehicle would grab. That’s precisely what the Canadian auto industry will carry in its collective pocket upon completion of Project Arrow, the first all-Canadian, zero-emission concept vehicle. It’s a response to a call by […]
APMA of Canada launches the first, original, full-build, zero-emission concept vehicle on Tuesday. Project Arrow.
Charles Adler Tonight, Global News Radio October 12, 2020 Flavio Volpe, President, Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, discusses Project Arrow with Charles Adler. Click here for more Charles Adler Tonight
Group to select 3 Finalists from 9 submissions Toronto, May 21, 2020. Today, the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association revealed the names of the much-anticipated Project Arrow Design Judging Panel that will pick 3 Finalists to move to the next phase of the project. The diverse group of jurists includes global leaders in automotive design, some […]


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Islamabad: The cellular companies received nearly Rs 2 trillion as tax from customers during the past five years, reported Online.
According to documents available with Online, Mobilink mobile company had collected Rs 13.26 billion as tax from the consumers in 2014. Furthermore in 2015 it collected Rs 13.34 billion, Rs. 14.80 billion in 2016 and in 2017 Rs. 14.3 billion. Till August 2017 it collected Rs 10.940 billion as tax from consumers.
Telenor had collected Rs 10.780 billion from consumers as tax in 2014. Moreover, in 2015 it collected Rs 12.370 billion, Rs. 10.470 billion in 2016, Rs 11.620 billion in 2017. Till August 2017 Telenor has collected Rs 8.80 billion as income tax from the consumers.
Likewise, above companies’ Zong received Rs. 670.40 million as tax in 2016 and Rs 6.60 billion in 2017.
Cellular company Ufone has received Rs 4.590 billion from consumers in 2014, Rs. 8. 60 billion in 2015, Rs 6. 630 billion in 2016. In 2017, it collected Rs 7.30 billion as tax from consumers. Till August 2017 it has received Rs 4.670 billion from the customers.
Warid Telecom which has been acquired by Jazz received Rs 4.60 billion from consumers in 2014, Rs 440.50 million in 2015, Rs 4. 410 billion in 2016. However, it has collected Rs 3. 180 billion till the August 2017.
It is worth mentioning that according to Income Tax Ordinance 2001, mobile operators have to deposit this tax on a weekly basis.
kindly define how many times a common man face these TAX……. ok let me define…..
1) every time recharge account they deduct it was 25% tax back then, now its about 15 to 18%
2) every call on same cellular the cellular company deduct Tax. WTFont
3) every call to different cellular network, now they both deduct Tax on single call. Morons they don’t even know simple math are deducting 2x tax on single call.
So many taxes and still these corrupt politicians still bag to IMF …….
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June 1, 2016
The owners of six contiguous parcels in the Miami Design District have decided to market them together as the potential development site, asking $37.5 million.
Metro 1 Commercial was hired to market the properties at 4000 and 4030 North Miami Avenue, 20 and 24 N.W. 41st Street and 15 N.W. 40th Street. The 43,756-square-foot site is mostly vacant, although it has a 7,929-square-foot retail building and a structure that’s described as an “outdoor living room.”
Under its current zoning, the property could be redeveloped into a five-story structure with 161,490 square feet of mixed uses, according to Metro 1. Tony Cho, CEO of Metro 1, said the best use for a development there is likely retail, possibly a high-end department store. The $37.5 million asking price is based on ground-floor rents of $100 to $150 per square foot and upper floor rents of $50 to $75 per square foot.
Cho said that’s considerably less than the $300 per square foot being quoted for other properties in the Design District. Darca has brought dozens of luxury brands into the neighborhood and built parking garages and art displays. Cho hopes the project at 4000 North Miami Avenue will add more restaurants to the district because there aren’t enough now.
This property is on the west side of North Miami Avenue, the main street between the Interstate 195 exit and the Design District. In February, RedSky Capital and JZ Partners paid $128.3 million for eight parcels on the east side of North Miami Avenue at Northeast 40th Street. That deal equated to $2,793 per square foot of land.
Based on that, Cho said his clients asking $857 per square foot should be a tremendous value.
Cho said it took a while to convince the four owners of the property to market them together but he convinced them that they’d be worth more that way.
The owners of this property are Living Room Properties, managed by Ernesto Rimoch, Eva Saraga De Rimoch and Diego Rimoch in Portland, Oregon; Miami La La La LLC, managed by Alex Birckenstock in New York; Miami Barokh LLC, managed by Khashy Eynalhori, Diana Sakhai, Isaac Sakhai and Alexander Sakhaiin Miami Beach; and Courtney Parking, managed by Michael T. Courtney in Coral Gables.


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Corporate Express Acquires Coastwide
Corporate Express, one of the world’s largest distributors of office, facilities, furniture and computer products, will gain an additional foothold in the jan/san market with the acquisition of Coastwide Laboratories, Wilsonville, Ore., a distributor and manufacturer of a line of environmentally preferable products in the Northwest United States.
Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.
“The acquisition supports our objectives of increased growth in the facilities market,” said Van Hindes, vice president of communications for Corporate Express. “We’ve been expanding in that market the last couple of years, and Coastwide was just a good fit with us.”
With the Coastwide acquisition, some layoffs are expected, although Hindes could not say how many.
“Our sales and customer-facing organizations will continue, but in some cases there will be some job reductions,” he said. “However, no job actions will be taken for at least six months.” The sales force will likely be unaffected, Hindes added, but distribution operations will see some job cuts.
Hindes believes the acquisition will benefit both Corporate Express’ and Coastwide’s customers by allowing them to streamline purchasing.
“Part of our strategy of expanding product offerings is to help our customers be more efficient, and to meet customers’ needs in looking for fewer suppliers,” said Hindes. In addition, “Not only will Coastwide’s customers continue to receive great service and support, but this acquisition enhances the facility supply offering to Corporate Express’ customers.”
Part of that offering includes Coastwide’s line of environmentally sound cleaning products, sold under the brand name “Sustainable Earth” a brand that Corporate Express considers a valuable addition to its own lines. The products will now be available to Corporate Express customers nationwide, and will be supported by its national sales force.
Hindes expressed interest in more jan/san-industry acquisitions, though he could not give specifics. He did say, however: “We will probably continue to look at acquisitions in the facilities supply areas.” The addition of jan/san products has been well received by Corporate Express customers, he noted.
Coastwide Laboratories’ 2005 sales totaled $45 million, and the company employs more than 150 people throughout 11 locations in the Northwest United States.
Corporate Express is a subsidiary of Buhrmann, NV, with 2005 North American sales totaling $4.6 billion.
ISSA Amsterdam Attendees Find A Different Kind Of Show
Attendees at this year’s ISSA/INTERCLEAN 2006 trade show in Amsterdam reported a relaxed, yet energized, atmosphere that was conducive to good business. While they tout the benefits of the U.S. show, they say the show in Amsterdam gave them new perspective on how these shows can be conducted.
David Holtzman, president of TEC Products Co., Inc., Carteret, N.J., had attended the Amsterdam show two times in the past, and said he would like to see some aspects of the Amsterdam show take hold in the United States. Most of the show’s high energy came from its 535 exhibitors.
“I think the excitement levels at their booths, the way they present their products, the way they entertain their clients with both entertainment with magicians … it’s more like a party atmosphere that made everyone feel really relaxed,” said Holtzman.
Jeff Stone, president of sales for Access Group Southern California, Azusa, Calif., agreed that the show offered something different compared to the U.S. show. “It’s more cordial and less pressure,” said Stone. “People kind of work over to your booth and are hospitable and there is not that pressure to rush from one end of the hall to the other.”
There were fewer overall visitors at this year’s show 25,294 than at the 2002 (26,456) and 2004 (27,460) shows, but organizers say the quality of visitors was exceptional, as more than one-third were able to make purchasing decisions.
Organizers of the show report that nearly 60 percent of visitors represented 120 countries, the remainder coming from all over the Netherlands. Exhibitors were represented by 31 countries.
SM, Sister Publications To Sponsor ISSA/INTERCLEAN® Seminars
This year, Sanitary Maintenance, Contracting Profits and Housekeeping Solutions magazines will sponsor the lineup of educational seminars at ISSA/INTERCLEAN® 2006. The show will be held October 4-7, 2006, at McCormick Place in Chicago.
Instead of dividing the sessions into topics relevant to specific audiences, this year’s seminars will be separated into sessions that focus on various industry-wide topics:
• Reducing Your Slips, Trips and Falls Risk, by Steve Spencer
• The Total Cost of Facility Ownership and Stewardship, by Alan Bigger
• Get Motivated and Improve Communication to Impact Performance and Profits, by Fred Broder
• From Paying Your Dues to Changing the Rules: Succession Planning and the New Generations, by Robert Wendover
• Find and Keep the Right Employees ... Without Stealing from the Competition, by Kathryne A. Newton, Ph.D.
• The Financial Impact of Green Cleaning, by Dave Frank
• Staffing and Workloading for the Bottom Line, by Jim Peduto
• Communication Bleeps and Blunders in Business, by Todd Hunt
• Maintaining Quality While Reducing Costs, by Steve Spencer
For more information, including complete session descriptions, visit www.issa.com.
Sale Of J-D Subsidiary Won’t Affect Product Offerings
JohnsonDiversey, Sturtevant, Wis., recently sold its subsidiary, Johnson Polymer, to BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany for $470 million. Johnson Polymer is one of the world’s largest producers of water-based resins raw materials that are used in the production of coatings.
The sale should not affect the company’s jan/san-related products, said Greg Bell, director of global communication for JohnsonDiversey.
“We’ll continue to make our products with the polymers the way we have always done, so I don’t think our end user customers will see any difference at all,” Bell explained.
According to a JohnsonDiversey press release, the global market for water-based resins is growing at an average rate of 5 percent per year, and in recent years, Johnson Polymers has grown faster than the market.
Bell said the profitable subsidiary was sold because JohnsonDiversey is focusing on its core business of providing cleaning products and solutions. “Even though Johnson Polymer has been a very good subsidiary, it really is not part of that core business that of concentrating on delivering the very best products and services and programs,” said Bell.
Johnson Polymers’ operations will integrated into BASF’s Performance Chemicals division.
NAW/DREF Releases New Book
The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors’ (NAW) Distribution Research and Education Foundation recently released a new book, Smart Investments: Developing Top Performers in Wholesale Distribution.
The book centers on training and development in wholesale distribution, with particular emphasis on employee development.
It discusses the five strategies that help companies find and retain quality employees and guides distributors on how they can implement those strategies.
Author Susan Levering includes more than two dozen “Road Maps” for distributors to work through each representing important steps that distributors must take in their strategic planning process to identify and implement needed training.
Survey: Buyers Give Distributors High Marks
In a recent survey on distributor performance conducted by Purchasing magazine, 94 percent of respondents said their suppliers did either an “excellent” or “good” job in 2005.
The survey also found that 54 percent of buyers are purchasing more items through distributors than they did five years ago.
Buyers appreciate distributors who offer more than just a low price value-added services such as customer service, e-commerce, and handling of delivery and lead time issues are important.
Overall, buyers say total cost is more important than the initial price of a product.
Home Depot’s Industry Acquisitions Drive Profit
Home Depot Inc., Atlanta, reported a 19 percent increase in first-quarter profit net income increased from $1.25 billion a year ago to $1.48 billion, according to MarketWatch Inc. Home Depot has recently been expanding its presence in the supply business, making several acquisitions, including Hughes Supply earlier this year for $3.51 billion. MarketWatch reports that supply operations represented 10 percent of the company’s sales in the first quarter and had a sales growth of 225 percent, following the integration of Hughes.
EPA Notes Decrease In Toxic Chemical Releases
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which showed a significant decline in the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment.
The overall decrease between 2003 and 2004 was 4 percent, but the largest declines came in some of the most toxic chemicals, like dioxin and dioxin compounds (58 percent); mercury and mercury compounds (16 percent); and polychlorinated biphenyls (92 percent).
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Activant Solutions, Yardley, Pa., recently announced the completion of its acquisition by Activant Solutions Holdings Inc., and all its subsidiaries by funds affiliated with private equity firms Hellman & Friedman LLC, Thoma Cressey and JMI Equity from funds affiliated with HM Capital Partners LLC.
Hillyard Inc., St. Joseph, Mo., acquired Des Moines Sanitary Supply Co., Des Moines, Iowa. Des Moines Sanitary Supply Company has been a distributor of Hillyard products for the past 16 years. The Des Moines location will operate as Hillyard/Des Moines Sanitary Supply.
Ecolab, St. Paul, Minn., has bought a minority interest in Apprise Technologies Inc., of Duluth, Minn., for $2.5 million. Apprise is a privately held company that designs and sells sensor-based products and Ecolab is interested in the company as it relates to soap dispensing.
SupplyDen Inc., a Rochester Mills, Mich.-based jan/san distributor, has acquired W.M. Roth & Sons, Fraser, Mich., another Detroit-area jan/san distributor.
Gordon Brush Mfg., Co., Inc., Commerce, Calif., has purchased the assets of Milwaukee Dustless Brush, Milwaukee. The plant was moved to a modern facility in Delavan, Wis.
The FNA Group, an Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based marketer of high pressure washers and accessories, acquired the assets of Phoenix Cleaning Systems, located in Northwest Arkansas, and its Simpson and Delco branded lines of pressure washing equipment. The company will be renamed Simpson/Delco LLC and operate under the FNA Group umbrella.
Office Depot, Delray Beach, Fla., has expanded into the Northeast with the acquisition of Allied Office Products, Clifton, N.J. The Miami Herald notes that the acquisition will help Office Depot sell more cleaning supplies and tighten the difference between it and Staples, the No. 1 office supply retailer.'
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Keanu Reeves will be releasing the first issue of his new comic book series BRZRKR and now he’s narrating the first trailer for the series. Reeves joined up with co-writer Matt Kindt (Folklords), artist Ron Garney (Wolverine), colorist Bill Crabtree (BRPD), and letterer Clem Robins (Hellboy) to bring this extremely gory comic to reality. The comic is intense, very bloody, and definitely something that fans of more hardcore media will appreciate.
The man known only as B. is half-mortal and half-god, cursed and compelled to violence…even at the sacrifice of his sanity. But after wandering the world for centuries, B. may have finally found a refuge – working for the U.S. government to fight the battles too violent and too dangerous for anyone else. In exchange, B. will be granted the one thing he desires – the truth about his endless blood-soaked existence…and how to end it.
You can read BRZRKR #1 on March 3 with physical copies at local comic shops and digital copies made available from comiXology, Google Play, iBooks, and Madefire. The main cover art comes from Rafael Grampá with versions available from Mark Brooks, Dan Mora, Lee Bermejo, and more. A 1-in-1000 variant cover will also be available from Jonboy Meyers and they are signed by Reeves.


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Marvel has unveiled a slew of Breast Cancer Awareness Month variant covers. They are presented in partnership with ‘Susan G. Komen for the Cure’ and will debut throughout October.
- Wolverine#315 - On Sale Oct. 24
- Avengers#31 - On Sale Oct. 10
- Captain Marvel#5 - On Sale Oct. 17
- Fantastic Four#611 - On Sale Oct. 10
- Invincible Iron Man#526 - On Sale Oct. 10
- Uncanny X-Men#20 - On Sale Oct. 17
- Captain America#18 - On Sale Oct. 10
- The Might Thor- On Sale Oct. 17
Damn right, and you should all be aware of the bullshit Komen tried to pull. Buy them secondhand and give your money straight to Planned Parenthood instead — you get more done.
Natasha kicks so much ass. Outsmarting one of the smartest beings.
this woman is perfect and gorgeous and asjdgaisf
Accept he totally played her and only let her know exactly what he wanted her to know and every thing happened how he wanted it to.


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Software company Nuix lodges its prospectus for $1.8 billion IPO
Macquarie-acquired software company Nuix is all set to launch its initial public offering (IPO) valued at $1.8 billion. In one of the biggest ASX listings of the year, the IPO of Nuix will consist of a primary issue of $100 million new shares and a sell-off of $875.3 million with the software firm expected to get listed on 4th December 2020.
In FY2021, Chief Executive of Nuix, Rod Vawdrey expects the company to deliver a revenue of $193.5 million.
More about software company Nuix’s IPO
According to the bid documents presented by Macquarie, it will be reducing its 66.1% stake in Nuix to 30%. An anonymous company insider says the book build is a raging success with demand being multiple times the $975.3 million shares on the offer.
Sydney-based Nuix’s valuation comes from share price $5.31, 9 times its projected revenue that was set for 2021 of $193.5 million and a whopping 24.7 times its forecasted earnings of $63.6 million.
In the previous financial year, the revenue of Nuix was $175 million along with a gross profit margin of more than 85%. The company’s listing will give Macquarie an enterprise value of $1.744 billion along with a market capitalization of $1.811 billion.
About Macquarie-owned Nuix
Nuix is an Australian investigative data analytics and software company with a worldwide presence that helps companies manage cyber risk and compliance threats, cybersecurity and investigate fraud. The Nuix software can process more than 1000 types of different files by scanning through emails and attachments.
The company was established by an Australian scientist, Mr David Sitsky in the year 2000 and today, it has 1000+ clients in about 79 countries which includes the US Securities and Exchange Commision, Australian Defence Force, Amazon and HSBC. During the Panama Papers investigations, Nuix’s software was also used by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to review documents.
Macquarie Group bought stake in Nuix in the year 2011 and is the largest shareholder with its 66.1%. Other major shareholders in Nuix are Cavill Armitage with 5.9%, Chief Executive Rod Vawdrey with 2.5% and Blackall with 9.3% stake.
For more updates and latest tech news, keep reading iTMunch


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The data released by the Peer-to-Peer Finance Association (P2PFA) showed cumulative gross lending last year hit ?843m, compared to just ?381m in the previous year. 3,714 businesses are now borrowing a total of ?263.6m through P2P from 26,851 lenders. Christine Farnish, chair of the P2PFA, said ?More and more people now recognise the benefits that P2P lending can offer. No wonder the sector is growing so fast?. ?2014 will be a significant year for the industry. We are about to pass the ?1billion milestone of total monies lent and in April we become regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, something we strongly support.? Nesta figures from December show the entire alternative finance sector grew by 91 per cent in 2013.
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Honda’s new CBF125 is proving such a hit that dealers are selling out just weeks after the model arrived in showrooms.
Many Honda dealers have already “sold the ones they’ve got”, according to the firm’s technical development manager Dave Hancock.
Sales are being driven by the CBF’s recipe of low price and incredible fuel economy combined with Honda’s reputation for quality, as riders look to save money in the recession.
The new model costs just £1,795 on the road and can deliver 134mpg, according to Honda.
A spokeswoman said: “Put it this way: We certainly hit our target for sales in December and the CBF125 formed a sensible proportion of them.”


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Not since 2011 has Dodge/Ram sold a midsize pickup truck. Built to compete directly with the Ford Ranger, the Dakota was introduced in 1986 as kid brother to the Ram 50.
The ‘90s saw an uptick of consumer interest in these “lifestyle” trucks — pickups that felt more at home on suburban streets than construction sites. Toyota had sold a small pickup in North America for a few years but introduced the Tacoma to properly challenge Ford and Ram in 1995. Nissan entered its Frontier pickup in 1997. In the late 80s and early 90s, GM sold the S-10 and S-15 trucks, but it was the Colorado and Canyon in 2003 that put the midsize fight to Ram et all.
n terms of midsize trucks GM/GMC/Chevrolet had the S-10 and S-15. Those trucks had some solid 4×4 capabilities. However, definitely not at the level of a number of other pickups like the Ranger. The trucks were being sold in the late 80s and through the 90s.
As the 2000s wore on, truck buyer appetites changed. Though the Toyota Tacoma continued to sell well, American manufacturers saw many customers graduate to larger models like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram 1500. Chevy chose to dig its heels in with its relatively new model, but Ford and Ram eventually pulled out of the midsize market.
But the pendulum keeps swinging, and small(er) trucks are once again in fashion. Chevy and its sister brand, GMC, have seen tremendous growth in their Colorado and Canyon sales. Toyota’s Tacoma, while changing little between generations, continues to top the charts. Ford debuted a reborn Ranger at this year’s Detroit Motor Show that will go on sale next year. Volkswagen is even toying with the idea of bringing a little pickup to the U.S. Now it’s Ram’s turn.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed at the company’s five-year planning meeting that a new midsize pickup will enter production in 2021. The name of this new vehicle is to be determined, but we can guess it will either be called the Ram Dakota or the Ram 1200 (a nameplate Ram uses to sell a Mitsubishi-bodied truck in global markets).
According to a new report from Automotive News, the smaller Ram will be built at the same Toledo plant as the current JL Wrangler and upcoming Wrangler pickup. Other details are thin, but we anticipate it will be powered by a choice of turbocharged four-cylinder or V6 powertrains. There’s also a good chance Ram will offer a turbodiesel variant.
Article originally published June 6, 2018. Last updated September 18, 2018, with news regarding the RAM midsize pickup’s platform and production.
- 8 things you didn’t know about buying (and owning) a new Ferrari
- This is everything we know about the 2024 Chevy Corvette E-Ray


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White House Commercial Adviser Peter Navarro said media reports on US-China trade talks are unreliable, even by appealing stories in the Wall Street Journal's "rubbish."
and do not believe anything you read in the Chinese or American press about these talks unless they come from the mouth of the president or counselor Lighthizer, "Navarro told CNBC" Squawk Box "on Friday. there will just be a lot of junk coming out of the Wall Street Journal and the People's Daily and everything in the middle, "Navarro said. "I have seen this movie before … There were all stories written and designed to shape the negotiations and they had no idea about them," Navarro said.
Navarro did not discuss specific stories or present evidence to support his position. The Wall Street Journal announced on Monday that some issues are considering new trade talks, including China, which does not increase US agricultural product purchases. Trump himself later confirmed that the lack of purchases was closed.
"People's Daily" is the official newspaper of the Communist Party in China. a calm period, "adding that US Trade Representative Robert Lahtiser will travel to Beijing in the near future with Secretary of the Treasury, Stephen Munchin.
Japan, after both sides charged billions of dollars for commodities to the other. said last week that the US should remove all existing tariffs for Chinese goods if there was a trade deal while Trump said that these tariffs would not be reduced
A Dow Jones spokesman did not respond immediately to a request for comment [1


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Job offersmore »
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Top 5 - yesterday
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Top 5 - last week
- Kenya overtakes South Africa to become Africa's biggest exporter of avocados
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Top 5 - last month
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Mexico: Nayarit to ship avocados to Dubai in October
Next October, Dubai could receive the first 18 tonne shipment of avocados grown in Nayarit by producers supported by the National Institute of Social Economy (INAES).
Juan Carlos Ibarra, purchasing manager at La Casa del Aguacate, explained that at the moment a representative is closing the negotiations to export his product.
La Casa del Aguacate is one of the 400 companies that took part in the Third National Fair of the Social Economy, opened last Thursday by the director general of INAES, Narcedalia Ram?rez, in the Bicentennial Park of Mexico City.
Three years after this company was established, it is already exporting approximately 9 thousand tonnes of the fruit per season to countries like Japan, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands and Singapore.
Ibarra commented that, back in 2015, he and a partner decided to start a company to support the cultivation of Nayarita avocados, which did not have access to a good market.
We were taken to training courses in Michoacan, where a lot of avocados are exported, and we wondered why we could not do the same ourselves.
"We two started to call the producers. They said we were crazy, that Nayarit could not export fruits," commented the producer.
La Casa del Aguacate is currently made up of seven avocado producers' organizations in Nayarit.
Publication date: 9/19/2017
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The advent of social media, and the ensuing shrinkage of attention spans that goes along with it, means that very few among us have the patience to read news articles beyond the headlines. And in these clickbaity times, such dependence on headlines leads to much confusion. That is exactly how a couple of friends, who were in the market for a PlayStation 4 console, approached me with one burning question: when will the PlayStation 5 be released and would it be wiser to avoid buying the PS4 at the moment?
There’s no straight answer to this question because the all the hullabaloo surrounding the PlayStation 5 is all based on speculation. Sony obviously has neither officially announced the supposed successor to the PS4, nor has it either confirmed or denied the rumours as of this writing. However, before you dismiss the PS5 rumours off completely, you might want to know that this speculation is more informed than one would imagine and come from a rather reputable source. The talk surrounding an impending PlayStation console update was sparked after a well-regarded analyst Damian Thong suggested that Sony will launch the PlayStation 5 in the second half of 2018.
A Credible Source
While such speculation usually isn’t paid much heed, but Thong is considered one of the most credible analysts in this space. He had accurately predicted PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro launches in the past, so it wasn’t surprising for the media to sit up and take notice. The lack of any response or announcement from Sony might be at odds with this prediction, but let’s not forget that no sane console maker will torpedo its current console by announcing a successor while the outgoing model has been selling like hot cakes. It hasn’t been long since the PS4 Pro has been launched, so it makes no sense for Sony to scare customers away from plonking down $400 on a console that’s about to be obsolete.
Furthermore, Thong’s predictions were also corroborated by another analyst Michael Pachter, who in turn believes that the PS5 will launch sometime in 2019 or even possibly 2020. His rationale behind the date is that Sony is waiting for wider adoption of 4K TVs before bringing out what will be a true-blue 4K gaming console capable of upsetting Microsoft’s Xbox One X in that space. He adds that Sony is waiting for the 4K TV market to reach adoption rates of 50 percent in the USA and 35 percent in the rest of the world. Pachter has another ace up his sleeve. The analyst predicts that the next generation PlayStation console will bring back a feature that has been a sore point for many PlayStation loyalists. That is backwards compatibility.
The PS4 disappointed hardcore fans by doing away with PS3 compatibility. While that spawned a number of HD remakes and remasters of PS3 classics, but the quality for many such remasters was sub-par. Microsoft capitalised on this misstep by going the whole hog and implementing excellent backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 titles, thereby creating a compelling reason preventing existing Xbox 360 owners from jumping ship to the PlayStation camp. After all, no one likes their game library worth thousands of dollars to be rendered useless. Pachter therefore speculates that Sony will be wary of committing the same mistake and is likely to make the PS5 backwards compatible with the PS4 Pro and base PS4 Slim models. This seems plausible because it would be a corporate suicide to make a $400 console obsolete in possibly just two short years since its launch.
However, all this begs the question: why release a new console generation when the current one has been doing so well? To put this into perspective, the launch of the die-shrunk PS4 Slim and the mid-generation upgraded PS4 Pro consoles rejuvenated sales for the Japanese console maker. The numbers are astonishing at 20 million PS4 units sold in the last fiscal year, which is in addition to the 40 million units sold from its inception until May 2016. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Sony has virtually no apparent reason to bring out a new console and therein hurt the sales of the existing PS4 range, which has been doing remarkably well.
The Xbox One X Factor
Well, all that does make sense until you consider Microsoft’s Xbox One X console. Touted as the most powerful console, the Xbox One X summarily takes the performance crown from Sony and positions itself as the premier console capable of delivering the best 4K gaming experience. If you hark back to the projected 4K TV adoption rates by 2019, half of the US population is expected to own one set, with 35 percent of the world having upgraded to 4K TV sets. It makes sense for anyone in the market for a gaming console in 2019 to opt for the one that promises optimal 4K gaming. The Microsoft Xbox One X then appears as a lucrative choice, since its significantly powerful than the PS4 Pro and hence better at 4K gaming.
Therefore, it is crucial for Sony to come up with a credible answer to the Xbox One X, if it hopes to capture the 4K console gaming market. As it stands, no amount of optimisation is going to help the PS4 Pro catch up with the decidedly more powerful Xbox One X. A brand new console engineered from the ground up for 4K gaming then makes perfect sense for Sony in 2019, when 4K TV penetration will have reached optimal levels.
Should You Wait for the PS5?
Having said that, don’t hold your breath waiting for Sony to announce the PS5 just yet, because it makes zero sense for the console maker to acknowledge these rumours and hurt PS4 and PS4 Pro sales, which have been going quite well for a while now. Going by the past record of the analyst who set off the PS5 rumours and the rationale behind Sony’s need for a credible 4K capable competitor to the Xbox One X, there’s a good chance that a next generation PlayStation 4 successor is looming on the horizon and we could in fact see it materialise circa 2019.
What should you as a consumer respond to these seemingly credible rumours and speculations? Well, someone who has a PS4 but is looking at a PS4 Pro upgrade would be better off holding his/her horses and waiting it out at least until more information (or an official denial) comes from Sony itself. If you don’t have any console as of now and want to invest in a PS4 or PS4 Pro, my advice would be to go for one right away, as there are plenty of top-tier AAA games on the platform to last you until 2019, not to mention a delicious range of AAA titles that have been announced for 2018.
To be honest, no matter how promising the PS5 sounds, it doesn’t make sense to go without games for at least two years (if the PS5 launch rumours are to be believed) just to wait for a rumoured console. After all, it’s the games that make a console and not the other way around.


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Innovation Delaware: Chemistry
Dora Cheatham has a pretty simple explanation for what Delaware’s chemistry sector was like pre-2000.
“It used to be just DuPont,” says Cheatham, the operations manager for the Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance.
Not long after the turn of the 21st century, the chemical giant was joined by other large players, like Hercules, ICI and Rohm & Haas in a collection of large companies that dominated the state’s chemicals industry.
But over the ensuing decade-plus, things have changed drastically, to the point where breakups and buyouts have created a much different collection.
“We have gone from an industry filled with companies that were focused on commodities but weren’t hugely profitable to one that contains firms more like those in Silicon Valley that are looking for higher profits,” says Bryan Tracy, co-founder and CEO of Newark-based White Dog Labs. The company develops microbiome-driven solutions that aim to increase food sustainability and improve the quality of human health and animal nutrition, while also helping to minimize emissions that contribute to climate change.
It is part of a landscape that has undergone a profound shakeup this century and has produced a climate with significant potential.
Big players still remain
Shakeups notwithstanding, giants remain across the landscape — like DowDuPont, which is the world’s largest chemical company in terms of sales. At the same time, its Specialty Products Division is producing cutting-edge research into the human microbiome.
Solenis, which has been formed from remnants of Hercules and Ashland, has 30 different manufacturing locations worldwide and in late January merged with BASF’s wet-end paper and water chemicals business. The company’s recent innovations include a new process to recycle starch that aims to make paper more sustainable.
Chemours is the world’s largest producer of titanium dioxide, which makes paints shine brighter and also makes for more durable automotive and aerospace coatings.
W.L. Gore in Newark continues to provide products created from polymers and is one of the largest privately-held companies in the country. Gore is also at the forefront of efforts to improve smartphone and laptop insulation.
The entrepreneurial spirit prevails
Over the past 12 months, STRIDE (short for Science, Technology and Research Institute of Delaware) has grown from a good idea to a company that employs 26 people and has expanded its focus to Silicon Valley and globally. STRIDE works with startups, growing and established companies who need help with their R&D. For example, STRIDE can help clients who work with recycled plastic detect contaminants that could come in contact with food products.
“We take building blocks created by other companies and try to make products from them that can go to market,” says Seetha Coleman-Kammula, STRIDE’s CEO. “Our people have been successful commercializing building blocks.”
Most of the companies STRIDE works with are populated by younger Ph.D.s who don’t have industrial experience. Although STRIDE was founded as recently as 2017, the majority of those who work there have decades of seasoning in that area, so the company is well-suited to accelerating the process.
A key to the growing collection of smaller companies that is helping energize Delaware’s chemical marketplace is the infusion of talent from larger companies that have either merged or broken apart. And thanks to the continued growth of the industry, there are jobs available for those with skills but also the ability to direct their knowledge to specific end results and to feed the entrepreneurial instincts of founders. As smaller companies grow and try to gain traction and — most importantly — funding, their leaders should be looking up for guidance.
“We need more interaction between early-stage, smaller companies and the big boys, so they can get direction,” Tracy says.
At the same time, transformation in Delaware’s chemical industry is driven by cutting-edge research at the University of Delaware. In February, researchers at UD’s Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation announced they had successfully synthesized renewable oils made from biomass, such as wood or switchgrass. These sustainable oils can potentially be used in lubricants to power anything from plane thrusters to refrigerator compressors.
The bottom line
There are several ways in which Delaware’s chemical companies are making impacts on daily lives. One is in nutrition. In the past, much of the work done in the state was to serve pharmaceutical companies. Now, firms are focusing on improving food quality — for humans and animals. White Dog Labs does that. Cort
So do DowDuPont, BASF and Croda, which is headquartered in Edison, New Jersey, but has a plant in New Castle. Their goal is to provide better ingredients, such as antimicrobials and antioxidants, that improve taste, nutritional quality and shelf life.
Another area that is getting some attention is the consumer sector. Firms like Adesis are helping to create materials that are more durable and can lead to stronger clothing fabrics and other products, such as tires.
Newark-based SAS Nanotechnologies has gained renown and won the 2018 New Castle “Swim with the Sharks” competition, thanks to its line of corrosion inhibitors that increase the lifetime of material coatings and help the environment. And 4th Phase has created a liquid crystal concentrate that removes pollutants from water and makes it more pure.
The products are impressive, and the work to develop more continues. But it’s not all about the sale. Efficiency in everything has become vital, and an example is Corteva Agriscience’s use of precision pesticides and fungicides. The DowDuPont agriculture company is allowing farmers to be more targeted in their pursuit of better crop yields, and while the more exact applications may result in lower sales volume, it and other firms are looking elsewhere to enhance bottom lines.
“They are gathering more data and using better analytics to make sense of client needs,” Tracy says. “They want to be leaders. They may sell less, but they are emphasizing service to help clients make better decisions.”
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